Of Sunsets and Sunrises
by Pyro Prodigy
Summary: A young man sets off on a journey to find his little sister, in a world where past, present, and future collide. Cold and solitary by nature, Tetsuya Jun-Jin is sure the key to survival is on his side. But what will he do when he meets his exact opposite,
1. Reminisce

Of Sunsets and Sunrises - Chapter One By: Pyro Prodigy  
  
-- Reminisce --  
  
A/N: First of all. Warning: This fic will be rated PG-13 for use of offensive language and violent scenes. Children, please....... REFRAIN FROM TELLING MOMMY OR DADDY THAT I USED A BAD WORD!!!!  
  
Ahem. now that that's over with. This is my first shot at writing an original fic, so bare with me people. These characters and everything about them are mine. well... so is everything else in the fic. If ya wanna borrow 'em though, you can email me, and I'll send a reply. And lastly, I will try my best to get the next chapters up ASAP. Well then, I'll just stop my ranting now and let you read the fic. Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~  
  
Tetsuya Jun-Jin looked up from his paper at the sound of someone banging on his bedroom door.  
  
"Jin!!" Kouji yelled, continuing to hammer his fist on the door, "Jin! Open up!!"  
  
The seventeen year old ignored him. 'Can't he think of anything but annoying me?!'.  
  
"Jin! Come on. open the door."  
  
Rolling his eyes, he shouted. "Go away! I'm trying to concentrate on my homework!!". Hey, at least it wasn't a lie this time, Jin was trying to work. His history paper was due in three days. However, the pounding never stopped. Dropping his head in defeat, Jin roughly pushed his chair away and walked to the door. He swung it open and met his father's gaze with a cold glare.  
  
"What?"  
  
Kouji paused, his fist suspended in the air.  
  
"Well?!" Jin demanded.  
  
"Ah, I see you've FINALLY come to your senses and realized that there are other people who live in this household"  
  
Jin snorted.  
  
Clearing his throat, Kouji continued, "Anyway, I've been asking if you wanted to go out for dinner, or order in."  
  
His son stared. "That's it? That's why you came barging up the stairs and practically breaking my door down. for that?!"  
  
"I said, I've been asking; been asking since 15 minutes ago, actually."  
  
But Jin didn't hear him. ". As if I care what we do. What suddenly possessed you to give a damn about what I wanted anyway?! It's not like it's ever mattered before. None of it has, I haven't. Even before mom died, you were too damn caught up with everything else to notice that. HELLO YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A FAMILY. It was only when she died that you snapped back to reality! It was fine, when she was here. you never had to do anything with us. Never had to organize birthdays, come to school plays, NOTHING. But now what? Huh? It's been 6 years, for christ's sake. 3, since Hikari's been missing. They're already gone. how long 'til I'm gone too? And will you do anything about it this time? Will you notice?!"  
  
Kouji gaped at him. This. was really what Jin thought of him? A cold hearted, self-absorbed bastard?  
  
"J-J-Jin. I."  
  
"No!" the blonde interrupted, "Don't. Don't you dare call me that! The only people that could call by the name Jin were mom, Hikari and anyone else I cared a lot about, and cared about me too! You don't care."  
  
"Yes I do! I do care Jin. if you only kn-"  
  
"If I only what? Understood?! Oh trust me, dad, I understand perfectly well," Jin said, saying the word, "dad" as if it were nothing but dirt. "I understand that you don't give a shit about me. At least you were actually there when Hikari was born, but what about mine? Were you there? NO. And even after that, you never made it to any event that had to do with me, us. Not our next birthdays, my piano recitals, Hikari's school plays, holiday get-togethers, NOTHING. I hate you.. So just . get away from me"  
  
Breathing heavily, the seventeen year old ran past him and stormed down the stairs in a blind rage. Grabbing his dark blue windbreaker, Jin fled.  
  
***  
  
It's been nearly two hours since Jin left, but he continued walking. His anger had faded by now, replaced by a tad of guilt. To burst out at his father like that, was unintended. But it was the result of keeping to himself for so long; the build up of his emotions ever since his mom died, and it got worse when Hikari disappeared. Letting out a heavy sigh, he finally took his eyes off the ground and looked at where he had ended up. And his eyes widened just slightly. He was at the edge of the park, where the usual park goers would ignore, mostly because they preferred to stay on the path. Certain few rested here though, those few included Jin, and his sister Hikari..  
  
*  
  
Jin's legs moved in a rhythm, pumping the pedals to the bike faster and faster. As one of the quickest people on his school track team, he didn't tire easily. On the other hand, his sister Hikari didn't either. He was eleven, and she, 9. Jin could hear her laughing behind him. "You just wait onii-chan. I'll catch up to you!"  
  
Jin stuck his tongue out at her playfully, as if to mock her even more, and then turned around to look back ahead. It was a good thing he did; otherwise, he would never have swerved quickly enough to avoid the fence before the path turned. Hikari, however, wasn't as lucky. The sound of the bike crashing into the fence, followed by a loud thump caused Jin to jump off his bike and run to where his sister lay.  
  
"Hikari!" the boy cried, "You okay?!"  
  
The young brunette sat on the ground, pushing her bike away from her with a slightly blank expression. There was a small scrape on her left knee, where a bit of blood could be seen. Jin placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Hey..."  
  
To his surprise, she merely poked him in the stomach.  
  
"Ah. Hikari? What. was that fo--"  
  
"I gotcha." She said simply, grinning a bit. "Told you I'd catch up"  
  
Jin blinked, his blonde hair falling into his eyes as he watched her stand up. Hikari laughed at his expression, brushing the dirt away from her shorts.  
  
"B-but. your knee, it's bleeding." Jin pointed out slowly, "You're not hurt?"  
  
The 9 year old brunette looked at him. "I'm okay, onii-chan. It only stings a bit. No need to worry, remember?". Hikari surveyed her surroundings. "Wow. look at where we are, Jin. It's so pretty."  
  
Indeed, the girl was right. It would be time for the sun to set soon, resulting in the clouds spread high above to turn into different shades of colors we knew as the sunset. It was the perfect view of downtown Tokyo. The river separating central park, and the tall buildings drifted serenely in the warm sunlight. For the moment, Tokyo didn't seem like the noisy, bustling city that it was. Jin finally got up off his knees and followed Hikari, who had walked up and sat down in the shade of the towering oak tree on the small hill. They sat there, for a long while, enjoying the peacefulness of the area. However, as the saying goes, nothing good can stay that way, Jin spoke up reluctantly. "It's great here and all, Hikari, being so passive, but we've gotta get going. We told mom we'd only be gone for 45 minutes and it's been well over an hour. come on, she'll be worried..."  
  
Hikari glanced at him, and then back at the buildings again briefly, before standing up and walking to where their bikes lay, forgotten. "Alright, but let's come back here again, okay? And next time, we'll bring mom too."  
  
*  
  
Jin closed his eyes, remembering that memory well. Hikari's innocent voice echoed in his ears.  
  
". And next time, we'll bring mom too."  
  
But they didn't, the just couldn't. Less than a month after, mom died in that fatal car accident on her way to pick them up from school.  
  
"Damn that accident, damn it all. If it never happened, mom would still be here. Yeah, she'd be here alright, and so would Hikari. Mom would have never given up looking for her. Not like dad did."  
  
Jin dropped to the ground, his back against the tall oak tree, and his head in his hands. His body shook slightly, eyes filling with crystalline tears that threatened to spill over. The blonde's hands flew to his eyes, however, not allowing himself to cry. He just couldn't. Jin vowed, the day of the funeral, not to cry, to be strong for his sister. besides, it's not like his father would. He was at a conference on the other side of town, his cell phone off, keeping him from finding out the tragic news. It wasn't until after the conference that he found out she had died that day. He came home late that night (as usual), and found Hikari huddled with Jin on the couch. Hikari, asleep from crying so much, and Jin, awake. his eyes bloodshot and puffy. When their eyes met, the blonde glared. Kouji never gave mom half as much attention as work. Even on her death day, work was ahead in his thoughts, before her. And maybe, this was why Jin never quite forgave him..  
  
It was past 2:00 am when Jin got home; he'd accidentally fallen asleep at the couch. As he was about to hang his jacket on the coat hanger, something caught his eye. Kouji was asleep on the couch, the cordless phone by his side. Surprise overtook Jin.  
  
"What the." he whispered to himself, "Did he actually stay up to wait for me?"  
  
. He shook his head. 'Nah. it can't be'. As he went to the stairs, though, he paused halfway there. His father was mumbling in his sleep, tossing around slightly. Jin's brows furrowed as if contemplating something. He went back to the closet to take a spare blanket out. Walking over to the couch, he draped the blanket over Kouji carefully and took the phone, placing it back on the receiver. As the blonde made his way back up the stairs, his face softened ever so slightly. "G'night dad." he whispered. And by some unseen force, Tetsuya Kouji's tossing came to a stop, his lips curling up into a barely noticeable smile.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: And.. END. That's all for chapter one. If you were wondering, the fic will revolve mostly around Jin. I'll try to get the next chappy posted soon. 'Til then. Sayonara, people! And remember. reviews are VERY welcome. Just to let me know what you think. 


	2. Disappearances aren't just accidents

Of Sunsets and Sunrises - Chapter Two By: Pyro Prodigy  
  
-- Disappearances aren't just accidents --  
  
A/N: Well, as promised, here's the next chapter to my original fic, "Of Sunsets and Sunrises". This is pretty much where everything starts, unlike the last chapter, which was more of an intro, really. That's why I made sure I got both of these chapters written before I posted anything.  
  
~*~*~  
  
It was late, when Jin awoke the next morning, after noon late. His mind was still groggy as he remembered what time he fell asleep last night. He's barely been able to pull off his socks and t-shirt, let alone make it to the bed. The blonde sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, glancing at the clock on his desk. 12:38. It was a Saturday, and other than finishing his history paper, he had nothing to do. Slowly, the seventeen year old made his way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, and a change of clothes, he went downstairs for breakfast.  
  
Kouij didn't say anything as Jin walked into the kitchen. Their eyes met, but the two remained quiet. Silence went both ways between the father and son. Silence with glares from Jin, meant the boy still hadn't forgiven him, while complete silence meant the Kouji had been forgiven, and vice-versa.  
  
"I'm. uhh.. going to the park for most of the day," Jin said, "gonna practice my jump shots and stuff"  
  
"Oh? Well, I'm going to the gym to run. why don't you come along? I hear their basketball courts are great."  
  
". Yeah, great, and crowded, full of amateurs who can't even get the ball near the backboard. I'd sure get a lot of practice done there." The blonde retorted, standing up and putting his dishes in the sink.  
  
Kouji didn't reply, he just continued to drink his coffee. By then, Jin had already walked to the closet and began to rummage around. The blonde pulled out a basketball soon after and slipped on his shoes. "I'm going." he muttered, and made his way out the door.  
  
***  
  
Jin picked up the orange ball again and with precise aim, shot it at the net. Swish.  
  
"You know, I always wondered why you've never joined any of the school teams, with that shot of yours, you could easily be one of the star players." A voice said from behind him. The blonde's eyes narrowed, but he didn't turn around.  
  
"Is there a point to you going up to me out of the blue, or is that all irritable people like you do for fun?" Jin muttered rudely, throwing the ball up once more to hear the satisfying sway of the net as the ball easily glided in.  
  
"Don't want me around? Alright then, have it your way." The stranger turned around and began to walk away, but paused and spoke once more, "After all, I am just being a bother, and you sure don't want to know what I have to say"  
  
Jin let out a growl and roughly picked up the basketball, turning around to face the unfamiliar person. His jaw clenched tightly as he saw the not-so- unfamiliar face. She looks just like my mother. with the soft, dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders like a silken waterfall and blue-green eyes glittering like emeralds. She looked as alive as ever. But, It couldn't be her. she's dead. Jin shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. He gathered his courage and spoke once again. "Well then, what is it?"  
  
"I can help you find Hikari." .  
  
"What.?" Jin asked. His eyes widened for a moment, before closing shut tightly as he shook his head once more. 'First she looks exactly like my dead mom and now she says she can find my missing sister. great' he added mentally. ". You can't. She's been missing for over 3 years. No one's seen her since then"  
  
"That's because you've all been looking in the wrong places. She's not here."  
  
"What are you talking about? Of course she's not here, she's dead. There were at least hundreds of rescue workers looking for her; they never even found a trace"  
  
His mother-look-alike crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh. "I mean she's not here, in this world. She's in another time, an ancient world called known only as Endiness. And Hikari didn't just disappear, she was kidnapped."  
  
The teen's eyes narrowed again. "Kidnapped. by who?!"  
  
". Follow me."  
  
All of a sudden, a large rift appeared in front of her. Gesturing for him to follow, she stepped into it and vanished. Jin stood there, his arms crossed and looking incredulous.  
  
"Walk into the rift already! You want to know where Hikari is, don't you."  
  
With one last look around him, Jin stepped in. ".Whatever"  
  
***  
  
". Where the hell are we?" The blonde questioned, taking in his new surroundings.  
  
"We're in a secret building buried deep underground"  
  
"The fact we're in a building is obvious enough, but I mean where"  
  
His mother-look-alike glanced at him, before climbing a set of stairs. ". We are at the ends of the Earth; A place where no normal human being, or creature for that matter, can get to. unless they go through a special rift like we did."  
  
Jin remained quiet for a moment, but continued to follow her up the stairs to a large metal door. She held a hand up to a panel near the door and it opened soon after, with a computerized voice greeting her.  
  
It looked to be something from a future world. The ceiling was unbelievably high up for an underground building. Gigantic screens flashed throughout the room and computers were everywhere.  
  
"So. is this place some sort of computer-run building where everything is exceptionally advanced? And if it is, are all places in 'the ends of the earth' like this?"  
  
She proceeded to walk into an elevator before finally turning to Jin and answering his question. "Yes to your first question, and no to the second. As I said before, this building is secret; only certain people may come here."  
  
Jin rolled his eyes. "And why is that?"  
  
"You'll see. We're almost where we need to go."  
  
"Whatever, look this better be about Hikari, or I am going to be seriously pissed off, lady"  
  
She gave no response, only stepping out as the elevator door opened. They were now in a room containing a large monitor and room-wide keyboard to go along with it. The walls were grey-ish white in color and two leather, teal- blue couches were placed in front of the monitor.  
  
"Take a seat." She finally said, punching in a few buttons on the keyboard.  
  
As soon as he did as he was told, the screen flickered, showing a massive village of people. "These people. are known as the Haidan clan. Usually stay out of others' business, unless you get the Hideku clan involved."  
  
"Why's that? Are they big rivals or something?" Jin asked.  
  
". Exactly; their rivalry is of the worst sort, everyone here knows about them, but will most likely refuse to talk."  
  
The blonde teen remained quiet.  
  
"You're probably wondering what caused such a big rivalry."  
  
Jin nodded briefly.  
  
"Well. not much is known; only that there was a huge betrayal. A man from the Haidan clan turned out to be a spy. fact is, he was one of the strongest members they had, included in the high counsel. One day, he lead the Hideku's right to his clan's hiding place. The result was disastrous. To this day, no one knows why that man betrayed the Haidans."  
  
". Then, I'm assuming, if the Haidan's are the friendlier clan, the Hideku's are the complete opposite?"  
  
The look-alike nodded. "Yes. They are inhumanly cruel; going around cities and towns just trashing places. Rumor has it; they use ancient black magic to make them stronger."  
  
"Forget about them. If the Haidan's are the. less-evil clan, so to say, why did they kidnap Hikari?"  
  
". I. don't know"  
  
"What?!" Jin cried, jumping out of his seat.  
  
"Let me explain, Jin." she reasoned. The teen glared, but crossed his arms, allowing her to speak. "That's why we brought you here, not only so you could have the chance to rescue your sister, but for us to find answers. You see, other than their usual trashing of cities and towns, the Hideku clan haven't started anything with the Haidans, which is very unusual for them."  
  
"So I'm just some sort of spy of yours; to find your answers, and do your dirty work for you?!"  
  
"No! Of course not! It's for your benefit too. that maybe you would learn why they kidnapped Hikari, and not someone else."  
  
"So why am I here, of all places.. Why didn't you just take me to where they are, like how you transported me into this building by traveling through that rift?" Jin questioned.  
  
"The Haidan, and Hideku clans are very hard to track. If they stay in one place for a prolonged period of time, we wouldn't be able to track and see where they are, even with the technology we have at our hands."  
  
The blonde scowled. "Damn it. So, then. why did you bring me here?"  
  
"To get you started on your training. As much as you'd hate to admit it, you need to train in order to survive out there on your own, in order to rescue Hikari."  
  
". Then, let's get started." 


End file.
